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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Little Known Facts About Horses...

I’ve learned many things since I began writing western romance. I love learning through my work. One of the things fundamental to my western romance research has been facts about horses. Most things people already generally know these…like the word for the horse family (“equus”) comes from the Greeks. A horse’s height is measured by a “hand”…a very small hand like mine of four inches in height. When my husband and his family were rescuing the wild horse last month, I learned that a horse’s age is determined by its teeth. A female horse is known as a “mare;” a baby horse is a “foal;” a young female horse is a “filly;” the father of a horse is a “sire;” and the mother of a horse is known as a “dam.”

Here is a list of more horse facts you might not have known if you’re new to horses like me….

Equinophobia, is the fear of the horses.

An average horse's head weighs 11.84 pounds.

A horse's heart weighs an amazing 10 pounds.

A horse’s moods can be determined with the help of their nostrils, eyes and ears.

Horses spend more energy lying down.

The 1st of January is when all racehorses in the US celebrate their birthday.

Most foals are born at night, away from danger and prying eyes.

A horse’s mood mimics its owner’s emotions.

Horses have two blind spots; one directly in front of them, the other directly behind.

"Old Billy," was the oldest recorded horse; he lived to be 62.

I found all these great horse tidbits and more at Buzzle.com. Visit the site to learn more about horses and all their amazing traits….

*For those who are curious about the rescue horse I posted about last month, next month's blog post on the 4th will include an update on her progress. Stay tuned!

I live on a cul de sac in the suburbs so owning a horse is impossible, but like you, because I write Westerns, I am learning more and more about them. I volunteer at our local horse rescue where we have some amazing animals. Baby Jasper and his mama Bella were saved in Nevada as they were to be shipped to Mexican slaughter. Jasper was a newborn. Both have been happily adopted. Jasper boards at our rescue, his new mama is one of our busiest and most dedicated vol's. Each of the critters has a story. Love this!

I never get tired of learning about the horses. Writing stories in the west always means horses. I rode when I was a kid, but that was a long time ago and I only remember the odd thing here and there. Thanks for collecting this information.